Portugal · NIF / NIPC
Portuguese NIF Checker
Check a Portuguese Número de Identificação Fiscal (NIF) or NIPC for correct format and check digit, and confirm it in real time — with the registered name and address.
What is a Portuguese NIF?
The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is Portugal’s 9-digit tax number: eight digits and a check digit. For companies it is the NIPC assigned by the business registry — for example 500100144 for Jerónimo Martins SGPS. With PT in front, it is the business’s EU VAT number (PT500100144).
Portuguese NIF format
Nine digits: the first shows the holder type, the last is a check digit.
(optional)
(5 = company)
digits
(mod 11)
Example: 500100144 (Jerónimo Martins SGPS, S.A., Lisbon), printed as “500 100 144”.
- 9 digits: Entered without spaces or prefix. Printed forms such as “PT 500 100 144” are the same number.
- Check digit: The law provides for a check digit; the widely used formula weights the first eight digits 9 down to 2, mod 11. The EU TIN checker applies the same check.
- Not a real taxpayer: 999999990 is the generic final-consumer number, and the common sample PT123456789 is not registered.
- Name and address: Portugal releases the registered name and address through VIES, so a valid result shows who the number belongs to.
How to check a Portuguese NIF
- 1 Find the NIF on the company’s invoice or website — Portuguese invoices must show the seller’s NIF and, for business buyers, the buyer’s NIF.
- 2 Enter it above, with or without PT. The checker validates the format and check digit, then confirms the number.
- 3 Compare the returned name and address with your supplier or customer.
- 4 Want to run the official checks yourself? Our EU VAT verification guide walks through them step by step.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check a Portuguese NIF? (Como validar um NIF de empresa?)
Enter it in the checker on this page, with or without PT: it validates the 9 digits and the check digit, then confirms the number and shows the registered name and address. For the official routes, see our EU VAT verification guide.
What is the difference between NIF and NIPC?
The NIPC is the number the business registry (RNPC) assigns to a company or other legal person, and by law it is also that entity’s NIF — one number for the tax authority and the commercial registry. Individuals receive their NIF from the tax authority (AT).
What does the first digit of a NIF mean?
It shows the type of holder: 1, 2 or 3 for individuals (new ones start with 3), 5 for companies and other public entities, 6 for the State, and 9 for entities such as irregular companies and non-resident companies (98). Non-resident individuals taxed only by final withholding get NIFs starting 45.
Is the Portuguese VAT number the same as the NIF?
Yes. The VAT number is the NIF or NIPC preceded by PT — for example PT500100144 for Jerónimo Martins SGPS — and is used on intra-EU invoices and in VIES. In Portugal itself the NIF is used without the prefix.
Why does VIES say a Portuguese NIF is invalid when the company exists?
VIES only confirms numbers enabled for intra-EU VAT transactions. Individuals and businesses outside that regime have valid NIFs that still show as invalid in VIES.
What is NIF 999999990?
It is the generic “consumidor final” (final consumer) number that invoicing software uses when a consumer does not give a NIF. It does not belong to a real taxpayer.
Last reviewed: , against official sources.
Validate EU VAT numbers at scale
Check Portuguese NIFs and EU VAT numbers in one API call — with registered name and address where the country provides it.